Not all art is about entertainment. Sometimes, art exists to challenge, teach, or heal us. A better way to describe art is to say that all art exists to help us. How it helps us changes from piece to piece. I had the opportunity this week to read Ingrid Chabbert’s Waves, the topics of which are of a grim seriousness that I don't want to obfuscate or shy away from. I'll start this review by saying that if you're searching for a lighthearted comic book, you might want to pass on this one. If you’re looking for something that will move you and, quite possibly, help you in your own life, then you need to learn more about Waves.

Nina Rodriguez always knew that magic was real, she just couldn't prove it. But when her sister Marissa is kidnapped by the Great Beast, Nina charges head first into the mystical world of spells and paragons hidden in the streets of Los Angeles. Blackbird Vol. 1 collects the first six issues of Sam Humphries and Jen Bartel's visually spectacular urban fantasy.

Empty Man#7 goes above and beyond, shifting from survival horror to something more along the lines of existential and philosophical dread. Not only does Cullen Bunn take what is probably a simple concept and make it mind-bogglingly esoteric in the best way, but what has been to this point a hellish landscape of chaotic, uncontrollable horror chasing down our heroes has become something that you maybe can’t just outrun.

The awesome folks at CA-based comic book retailer Collector’s Paradise are extending their Free Comic Book Day festivities into the whole month of May for Free Comic Book MAY, and they have generously invited the Fanbase Press team to join them for a signing at their Pasadena, CA, location on Saturday, May 18, 2019, from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston’s meta tale of superheroes without a story has sprawled every which way since its first issue about two years ago. I say “without a story” not because things haven’t happened - so much has happened - but because for much of the series our heroes have been without anything to save. Their story was stripped away from them, and they’ve been forced to live out different stories. What happens when you take away a superhero’s main reason for existing?

Welcome to a world where the past, present, and future all echo each other, the paranormal is the only way to understand the normal, and everything happens for a reason. Elizabeth Crowens’ page turner creates wonder and intrigue into the mystical possibilities of everyday life and the ways that decisions shape the future.

The following is an interview with comic book creator Tameka August-George on the series, August: Comfort Zone. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with August-George about the inspiration behind the project, how she approached the creative process, what she hopes that audiences will take away from the story, and more!